Optical printer

MFA student Xincheng has been exploring the use of the optical printer. We processed 100 feet of his tests (a sizable amount of optical printing for a newcomer to complete in only a week) and the results were quite good except when he wanted to superimpose. After some exploration, I discovered that the Film department's JK printer has a strange glitch. It won't let the camera go backwards except occasionally one or two frames. I'm troubleshooting it but I think there might be something going wrong in the wiring. Hopefully it is fixable as the rest of the device has never run better. It had a seized switch but I was able to get it moving with some graphite. 

Dad in hospital for surgery

Dad had gall bladder surgery. I came to the hospital after lunch to see how he was doing. My sister texted me to say they were in the waiting room on the second floor so I went to that floor and went wandering around trying to find him. At one point I was standing in an intersection feeling (and looking) completely lost. A fellow pushing a bed asked me if he could help me find anything. I looked at him and then at the bed and I pointed and said "I'm looking for him". He was taking dad from the surgery to his room so I texted everyone the update on his location from the elevator as we made our way to his room. 

Dangers of safety

I cut some plywood for the replacement seat on this old wicker rocker (great chair but the previous owner had used a piece of wall paneling for the seat). All went well until I took my ear protection off. The head set was like a spring so when I removed it, it tried to jump out of my hand. In trying to catch it, I quickly moved my hand and rammed my finger into an edge of my face shield. The resulting scuff to my finger bled for a few minutes. NEVER AGAIN!

Big group at my table

Kevin, Geremy, Mike, William and I had a fun evening, all together for the first time, at our house. After Geremy left, I helped William set up my worn out copy of Vonnegut's "Deadeye Dick" on a stand so he could better work on his book report but I ultimately tore it in half. William hopes Geremy can fix it. 

Photos from Cathedral Festival street fair

We were up early helping out with the swamp room at the Cathedral Community Centre.

On the way home to get a rest before the parade we got mini-donuts with no line in front of the truck! We also ran into Geremy and Ellen and met Aurora for the first time.

David and Angie were at a Sask Writers Guild tent.

The crowd got thicker and thicker as we made our way home. Once at home, we had only a few minutes to collect ourselves before heading back for the parade which had a wedding taking place during it.

There is a new living statue.

unproductive day

This morning I took dad for some pre-operation tests (which really was me sitting in the waiting room doing a crossword for over two hours) and this afternoon I finally started catching up on all the email I've had piling up. We took a look at the art that Robin has for auction at the Westminster and will likely put a bid or two in. All in all a busy but unproductive day. 

Ghost photography exhibition opening

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the photography we did yesterday in the YAAG using long exposures to simulate 19th century ghost photography. Above is the adorable Fiona and her giant dad (I couldn't even get his head in the shot), the amazing Mike Rollo - thanks for being here. 

Ghost photography workshop

Although it was apparently scheduled, neither Margaret nor I were aware that the power was to be shut off at our house from 9am to 3pm. Not only that, but the power was actually off until past 6 when we left for supper, being unable to eat at home. I did manage to present the ghost photography workshop in the YAAG as scheduled in the Cathedral Arts Festival pop up gallery guide. I had about 15 people come by and get photos taken. I didn't manage to create a hand out to explain stuff, but did it all orally. It went well. In the middle of it all the cable guys arrived to increase my internet speed.  After supper at the diner, William and I went to see Trudy Stewart's film she made with Noel Starblanket. Great crowd and great discussion. Quite an evening.

Filmpool Premiere night

Filmpool moved its Screening Under the Steeple screening from Friday to Tuesday this year to accommodate people who wanted to go to Yorkton Film Festival. They also made it a curated (by Ella) premiere night. The crowd was intimate but appreciative. My film "The End of Another Day (a Wheat Soup story)" screened publicly for the first time and was received well.
William and I watched the first two episodes of the new Twin Peaks on CraveTV. 

Canister spotted at the Cathedral Festival parade

While many ran if fear, not even the police stationed around the perimeter dared to evict the dangerously unwelcome Canister the Robot from the Cathedral Arts Festival parade this morning.

Dad is recovering well

Since dad got out of the hospital Thursday evening, he has been doing quite well. He was in the hospital for almost 9 days, the first two being mostly non-responsive he was so sick. There were quite a few symptoms so there were quite a few tests but eventually they determined that his gall bladder was the primary culprit. With gall stones and other bile and junk plugging it up, he got really sick and it threw off blood sugar and digestion and many other things. It is temporarily fixed but will be removed in a few weeks. Other than some lack of energy, he is back to his old self.

William shoots super-8

I helped William shoot his "One Take Super 8" film today. We picked up his friend Xander to play one of the roles. William wrote a very complex (albeit surreal and confusing) script which considers every action of this short silent film. I'm quite impressed.

Maureen and Alex Janvier exhibition

The opening of the  Alex Janvier exhibition at the MacKenzie this evening was incredible. We visited with dad and family before going so we ended up missing all the talks but Maureen came with us. We'd hoped to go for ice cream afterwards but it was a bit late and cold out. 

Preparing for Cathedral Arts Festival

This evening was a session at the AGR to ramp up for the Cathedral Festival. Some of the artists doing big stuff did short talks including Sylvia who is building a giant crow puppet, Eric who is doing some drone work which in turn is ramping up for his Swamp Fest (which I think conflicts with my beer launch in September), Brendon Schick who is running the street painting initiative, and Fada Dance who are doing some variation on their interactive work from last year. William will be doing some volunteering on Monday.
Dad got out of the hospital today. He still has some surgery to return for in two or three weeks. 

lunch with Geremy and Erik

Met with Geremy and Erik at Ngoc Van for lunch and to talk about project. Funding still up in the air but shooting begins in four weeks. 

visiting dad

Dad has been doing so much better over the past couple of days. Yesterday they named Friday as his target release date. Today William came with me and thought he hadn't seemed more healthy in years. Above photo is dad telling William about this boy who was running with a sucker in his mouth...

Quick and DIrty talk on puppets

Tonight was the puppet themed Quick and Dirty talks which are run by the Dunlop and CCC. In them, each participant presents twenty slides, each for 20 seconds, on the selected topic. Given that I am the poorest puppeteer and the poorest puppet creator in our group but also given that I am to do a quick and dirty talk about puppet films along with Chrystene, Berny, and Rowan and that my ego is too big to let them show me up completely, I talked about 20 different films that I have made using puppets. I left a few out as they would be repetitive.. It went well.

Rowan spoke with baby in tow

Eric and Erik

Mother's Day

William made cinnamon buns this morning and we had a pleasant mother's day breakfast. I visited dad in the hospital and only had a card for mom (one of William's brilliant but bizarrely inappropriate for the occasion designs). 

Erik visits, invent new genre

Had coffee with Erik, starting at hospital but moved to Atlantis. Erik had a film idea he wanted to tell me. He said it was a thriller.I told him to thrill me with his description. He then realized that it wasn't that thrilling, it might just make me perk up, like having a coffee. We then decided that a genre that just gets you a bit more alert, a bit more interested, but not as much as a thriller would be called a "Perker". 

Dad recovering

After a couple of troubling days in the hospital, dad is returning to his old self. They think everything began with some gall bladder problems which are taken care of. Still needs to get his strength back, but everything is much more optimistic now.

Drone shoot

Haley Klassen came with us to the farm today where we used Fred's old circle of stones as a setting for a Life is Like Lint sequel with William and myself, shot with a 4K drone.